EDITORIAL: Creek project flows in right direction

The big news last week in Laguna was also big for South Orange County: Money is being brought to bear on the seemingly intractable problem of Aliso Creek and the polluted waters that flow from it onto the beach in South Laguna.

Five million gallons a day of toxic water is no joke. Just go down to the beach parking lot on the inland side of Coast Highway and take a whiff of the fetid, putrid — even while flowing — waters that collect there.

Some grousing about fine points aside, the fact that the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, the County and the City of Laguna Beach have all gotten on the same page is exceptional.

The approach being taken by the Army Corps — to first stop the swift-moving creek from eroding the sides of the creek bed — is controversial, given that it will require construction in wild land areas. But it is the underpinning for the watershed cleanup that will follow, and that is not too high a price to pay.

It’s also heartening that the project is being seen as a breakthrough for cooperation between the two federal entities and bodes well for future such watershed cleanups.

As County official Larry McKenney writes: “Aliso Creek could be a proving ground for a new agreement between the Corps and the Environmental Protection Agency that will allow the Corps to be directly involved in the resolution of water-quality problems. Upon approval of the project by Congress, the Corps will be able to help pay for water-quality treatment to ensure that the creek water is clean before it flows to Aliso Beach.”

Now the city has its work cut out to get all the upstream municipalities on board to do what they can to stop the toxic flows at their sources.

A huge hand of thanks and a round of applause should go to the two Laguna ladies whose personal appeals to the folks in Washington made this happen — in alphabetical order (this is an election year, after all) — Toni Iseman and Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider.

It will take years to get the stream back to a semblance of clear, clean water. This is a running start.